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18th Century Brothers

Hey there Nameberry!

My screenplay takes place in 1775 colonial America. The two leads are 20-something brothers and their father is a French immigrant. I personally love French names and I thought it would be lovely if their names were slightly French to reflect their heritage, so I picked what I thought were relatively simple, safe French names: Jean & Alain. In the back of my mind I wondered if this was going to be a stumbling block and sure enough my worst fears came true when my first reader picked up the script, flipped to a random page, and said "Ah-lane and Jeen?"

So, yeah. I want to keep Alain's name but I'm undecided on the spelling: Alan, Allan, or Allen. Or should I stick with "Alain"? He's charismatic and mischievous and I loved the sort of charming flair the "i" gives the name, as opposed to what I've always considered a rather straightforward "Alan". Is a French spelling/pronunciation just too much to ask?

I've never been married to Jean's name, but I liked that it was a Biblical variant without being *Biblical*, and that it was a twist on something so common. I want to name him something understated, but memorable. He's a quiet, deeply spiritual person who has lived in his brother's shadow all his life but emerges as the unexpected champion.

I'm open to any and all suggestions - I just don't want to have to pass out a pronunciation key every time I pass out the script.